European Commission

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Child protection – a solid EU strategy

(06/03/2008)

The European forum on the rights of the child, bringing together representatives from both international and national level, met in Brussels on 4 March with the aim of developing more effective tools to protect children’s rights.

“I like to think of us as the guardian angels of all children. Together we can get real recognition for children’s rights to survival, development and protection,” justice commissioner Frattini said of the forum, which includes representatives from the UN, Interpol and Unicef.

The forum also brings in children to inspire and inform its decisions. In this way, children can shape policy outcomes and make their voices heard.

One development is a pan-European telephone hotline for missing children. The "116 initiative" is being set up in various countries and should soon be operational. The hope is that all EU countries will set aside the number 116 000 for calls about missing children.

The recent Safer Internet Day (12 February) served to raise awareness of the risks of communicating online. A new EU programme will make it easier to report illegal or harmful conduct. There are also plans to block online payments for images of children being sexually abused.

On child poverty, social affairs commissioner Špidla said “One in five children in Europe lives at risk of poverty. This is absolutely unacceptable.” To help communities such as the Roma, where child poverty is a particular issue, he called for measures to ensure that parents have access to work.

In a symbolic gesture, communications commissioner Margot Wallström dedicated a tree planted at the Commission’s headquarters to “remind us that we must listen to the voices of Europe's children”.

A third meeting to address international adoption is scheduled for November 2008.